The SLOHS library has so much to offer, so where are the readers? Photo courtesy of junior Emily Kohler.
Students at San Luis Obispo High School have a lot of various hobbies, but for most, that list doesn’t include reading. The average American reads only 12 books per year, and over the last twenty years, the amount that people read has been declining.
“I’ve been trying to get back into the habit of reading more, but it’s hard because I’m always so busy. After a long day of school, I only have the mental energy to read stupid fluffy romance books, which is a little embarrassing,” said junior Cate Tucker.
We can’t attribute declining readership to busy schedules alone, though. People have always been busy.
It’s likely that it has more to do with the rise in popularity of social media over the last decade. So much information is available instantly with the tap of a button, and especially when found in the form of short videos or infographics, it can be tempting to use social media as an information source. Sometime over the last twenty years, reading has become something that requires effort rather than a way to unwind.
“It’s bad, but I don’t read anymore. It feels like too much effort, and I’m so braindead at the end of the day that I usually end up just scrolling through Instagram Reels instead,” said junior Chelsea Funk.
However, when people aren’t willing to read even a longer news article, this can have scary implications for media literacy. Lots of people don’t fact-check information anymore, leading to the spread of misinformation.
“I’ve seen so much false information spread around because people are too lazy to check their sources, or just have terrible reading comprehension. I think this is caused by the fact that a lot of people don’t really read anymore. It’s really scary,” said junior Alana Spearman.
Reading has so many benefits, like expanding vocabulary, preventing cognitive decline, and raising reading comprehension. For people who don’t want to be part of the problem, pick up a book and fight the education epidemic!
Sources: newyorker.com, healthline.com
